I walked past a bumper sticker the other day: I’ll keep my guns, ammo, and money. You can keep the “change.”
I chuckled at the clever wording, but so strongly disagreed with the implications that I sat down and drafted this blog. Obama was calling for a change of perspective from the individualist, consumerist, anti-community rhetoric of Bush-era neoliberalism that paints anyone who speaks in favor of community as socialist, evil, anti-American and wrong-headed.
I think we do need a change. I believe we will be better if we invest in each other—if we see ourselves as citizens and members of the community rather than as isolated individual consumers. I’ll willingly sacrifice my personal interests to make us better. I value you more for your contribution to our community than for the dollars you spend in the store.
To use a familiar sporting analogy, there is no “I” in “team.” It’s the best teams that win championships, not the teams with the best stars. Just like in football and basketball, teamwork, synergy, and attitude matter. Yes, popular media celebrates the star, but the coach applauds the successful play requiring unselfish acts.
Don’t get me wrong. It is fine to ask: “what is in it for me?” And, yes, excellence should be rewarded. But there can be too much of a good thing. The obsession with the ownership society has a serious downside. Unwillingness to question where the invisible hand of the free market takes us created massive holes in our middle class body politic. As the power of moderates and moderation have drained away, fear mongering and divisiveness have increased. The result is paralysis.
Our house will not stand when divided. We cannot buy our way to prosperity. We cannot build a future on debt. We cannot prosper once we’ve consumed all natural capital. We cannot thrive if our ecosystems no longer nurture us. We cannot make good decisions if we’ve cannibalized the political process for political gain. We must invest rather than consume and restore rather than degrade.
Plenty of higher ground exists, if we have the courage to climb there. We can reduce energy costs and increase national security. Rather than welfare, we can create jobs that clean air and water. We can promote ecological and social entrepreneurship rather than hand out entitlements. On this higher ground exist endless solutions that satisfy both progressives and conservatives. These solutions promote prosperity and community. They create a future where we want to live. They can be realized because we believe in them and we willingly sacrifice to make them happen.
Yes we can. But only if we tolerate some change.